Cargo Fleet [2nd]: Eastbound passing the site of Cargo Fleet station and approaching Whitehouse box in 2004. The island platform and a station building here survived until the early 2000s. Since this photograph was taken the westbound line has been relaid on a straight alignment.

Darlington North Road: A Bishop Auckland - Saltburn service stands at Darlington North Road in February 2004.

South Bank: A locomotive and coke wagon wait by the former Dorman Long cokeworks at South Bank, Teesside. South Bank station's eastbound platform can be seen in the foreground in this 2004 view.

Redcar Blast Furnace: The massive single blast furnace at Redcar was blown in for the first time in 1979, leading to the closure of the three smaller furnaces at Cleveland Iron Works. This 2004 view is from the trackbed of the original alignment of the Middlesbrough and Redcar Railway which was realigned south in 1978 (with a private station for the works) to allow construction of the furnace and the hot metal road to Lackenby Steelworks. The site has a long history of metal making - being the Coatham Ironworks (1873), then the Redcar Iron and Steel works and is now the Redcar Ironworks.

Tod Point: On the original route of the Middlesbrough and Redcar Railway track can be found still laid in a level crossing followed by a brickwall on the eastern boundary of the Redcar Ironworks. The route was re-aligned further south by British Railways in 1978. A portion of the bypassed section survives at the west end to serve the ore terminal. This reminds me of the Cycle Facility of the Month website. The view looks west along the former trackbed in 2004.

Great Ayton: A snowy view south towards Battersby Junction in 2004.

Corby Gates Signal Box: A freight heads east past Great Corby box on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway in 2004.

Heighington: Looking to Shildon. It was here that the Locomotion No 1 was assembled.

Lackenby Steelworks: Locomotives by the locomotive shed at Lackenby Steelworks. In the left background the very large blast furnace at Redcar can be seen. The two works together are known as the Teeside Works. Today (04/12/2009) comes the news that the steelworks is to be mothballed in January 2010.

Wylam: Whiling away the long dark hours at Wylam box.

Eaglescliffe: Eaglescliffe looking north. The now abandoned Stockton and Darlington Railway alignment was further east.

Darlington [Bank Top]: A southbound train of steel slabs from Lackenby is held at Darlington Bank Top.

Hartlepool: Today's Hartlepool station. Only the platform on the right is in use, continuing a fine NER tradition of using one platform for two directions at quieter stations. View looks south.

Earn Viaduct [Forgandenny]: Not Again! So often the predicament of the Earn Viaduct. The river has overflowed under the bridge supports and the new silver spans - 29 February 2008.

Ferry Toll Tunnel: View east from the B980 on 29 February 2012 showing the Rosyth Dockyard branch tunnel under the A90 Forth Road Bridge approach road.

Holyhead: Unbranded Arriva Blue DB Schenker 67001 in Holyhead Station sidings on 29 February. The locomotive had arrived on driver training duties prior to the class taking over haulage of the Welsh Assembly funded service between Holyhead and Cardiff from class 57s in the near future.

Holyhead: Virgin Super Voyager 221102 leads sister unit 221109 into Holyhead station on 29 February 2012 with the 12.50 arrival from London Euston.

Maidens: The east facing view of light railway engineering at the Morriston farm bridge, north of Maidens, on 29 February 2012.

Great Glen: An East Midlands HST speeds northwards through the site of Great Glen station between Market Harborough and Leicester on 29 February 2016.

Newbattle Signal Box: A mid-morning train on the Borders Railway about to run south through the site of the first Newtongrange station in February 2016. The pedestrian footbridge linking Station Road (left) and Old Star Road was built on the site of the original station footbridge. At this point the train is approximately 250 yards short of the current (2015) station.

Pleasure Beach: Centenary tram 641 has replaced Brush Railcar 627 in the static display area at the Blackpool Pleasure Beach turning circle See image [[49382]]. The tram is in a vivid livery based on the Blackpool FC tangerine strip with numerous pictures from the club's history displayed on the panels.

Starr Gate: Flexity 005, newly arrived from Fleetwood at the Starr Gate terminus on 29th February 2016. The new depot can be seen behind and the line through the washing plant follows the route of the old turning circle. This however is now entirely inside the secure depot area and 005 will draw forward and then come back into the opposite platform before commencing another run to Fleetwood Ferry.

Preesall: Sixty six years after the last goods train, and eighty six after the last passenger service, a section of the Knott End Railway trackbed between Hackensall Road in Knott End and the site of Preesall station is still clearly defined and accessible to walkers. This view looks east towards Preesall and ahead lies a stream which is now crossed by a modern footbridge that was installed to replace the collapsed railway structure. Might this old line see trains again? See recent news item.

Market Harborough: A London bound EMT Meridian unit passes Market Harborough on 29th February 2016. The large station building can be seen on the right and the covered walkway leading up to the northbound platform.

Market Harborough: East Midlands Trains 5-car Meridian set 222022, seen approaching Market Harborough with a service to St Pancras on 29 February 2016.

Great Glen: The long closed station of Great Glen, between Market Harborough and Leicester, still retains the up platform buildings and appears to be in use by the occupier of the station yard. The village that it served is over a mile to the north. [Ref query 1049]

Bispham [Tram]: What a contrast. Two Blackpool Balloons, both on driver training duties, meet at Bispham on 29th February 2016. 717 Walter Luff on the right is in almost original condition with roof lights, sun visors, skirts and tip seats. 711 is heavily modified with no roof lights or skirts but rubber surround bus windows fitted. Most significantly 711 is also a wide body with the entrances extended so that it can operate from the new tram stops when required to supplement the Flexity fleet.

Kibworth: Looking at the attractive former small Midland Railway station of Kibworth on 29 February 2016, from what would have been the station approach. Kibworth closed in 1968 and the platforms have since been removed. The tracks to the right have been fenced off so passing trains can no longer be seen.

Norbreck North: After a long campaign by local residents a new tram stop has been authorised at Norbreck North and is scheduled to open for Easter 2016. On 29th February 2016 finishing work was taking place as seen here from a Fleetwood bound tram. The new stop breaks up the long stretch between Norbreck and Little Bispham.

Newbattle Signal Box: DMU 158728 runs south between the two new footbridges at Newtongrange on 29 February 2016 and is passing through the site of the original 1908 station. The train is the ScotRail 1054 Edinburgh - Tweedbank.

Newtongrange: Plaque commemorating the official opening of the new Borders Railway station at Newtongrange on 9 September 2015. See image [[52489]]

Market Harborough: Following the picture of the new 'straight' platforms at Market Harborough See image [[71182]] and the comment that the old Goods Shed had been demolished, I had a search of my archive and located this photo of the said building just over 3 years ago in February 2016. Demolition took place in August the following year.
See query 2202

Knott End: The slipway at Knott End, seen from the ferry crossing from Fleetwood on 29th February 2016. The substantially rebuilt Knott End Railway terminus can be seen to the right of the slipway entrance See image [[18813]] next to the coastguard station.

Newbattle Viaduct: A Borders Railway service crossing Newbattle Viaduct on 29 February 2016, seen from the south side.

Barcelona Docks: The grounds of Montjuic Castle offer an excellent vantage point for inspecting the railways of Barcelona's docks. Notice the car carriers, both full and empty, on the left; the spur line at right angles to the main dock lines dead ahead; and the very broad gauge rail mounted cranes.

Hyndland: 334025 arrives at Hyndland, on the sunny morning of 29th February 2020, with a service to Edinburgh Waverley.

Woodacre Crossing: A damp and gloomy start for the 'Cotton Mill Express' on 29th February although the forecast was for brighter weather later. 45699, running as 45562 'Alberta', passes Woodacre on the outward leg of this tour of north west climbs.

Sitges: Taking the p**s with the PIS: the information panel on the left tells you that you are on Catalonian Railways - thankyou Sherlock - the panel on the right tells you what train just left the station. No wonder that on the last night of our visit, we waited an hour for a night bus. (Location note: this station is about 40 minutes ride SW of Barcelona)

Lancaster: 195101 passes a new 'Avanti' running-in board as it slows to call at Lancaster on the way to Manchester Airport on 29th February 2020, the last day of Northern operations by Arriva. The station at Barrow-in-Furness was closed this weekend to allow a new subway to be installed and Furness line services such as this were starting and terminating at Ulverston.

Sitges: Well they're stops, but they wouldn't really buffer you. Concrete evidence of the end of a bay platform line and a dead end siding at Sitges near Barcelona. Notice the tactile paving on the left.

Leicester Square: LUL 1995 stock on southbound Northern Line service to Kennington at Leicester Square station, an interchange with the Piccadilly Line, on the afternoon of Saturday, 29th February 2020.